Volume VI, song 583, page 603 - 'Cauld is the e'enin blast' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

'Cauld is the e'enin' blast O' Boras o'er the pool, And dawin' it is dreary, When birks are bare at Yule O cauld blaws the e'enin' blast When bitter bites the frost. And in the mirk and dreary drift The hills and glens are lost, Ne'er sae murky blew the night That drifted o'er the hill, But bonie Peg a Ramsay Gat grist to her mill.' The 'Scots Musical Museum' is the most important of the numerous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections of Scottish song. When the engraver James Johnson started work on the second volume of his collection in 1787, he enlisted Robert Burns as contributor and editor. Burns enthusiastically collected songs from various sources, often expanding or revising them, whilst including much of his own work. The resulting combination of innovation and antiquarianism gives the work a feel of living tradition. According to Johnson, this song was written for the 'Museum' by Burns. Whilst in this case Johnson's statement appears to be true, in many cases his attributions have proved to be inaccurate. The accompanying tune, known by the title 'Peggy Ramsay', is an old Scottish air. Glen (1900) highlights it as having 'a considerable resemblance to the first strain of the reel called 'The Mason Laddie', or 'The Mason's Apron''.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503778

Title

Volume VI, song 583, page 603 - 'Cauld is the e'enin blast' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Object Type

PhysicalObject

Measurements

- 129 x 211 mm